The dangers of electronic waste

China is the premier destination for electronic waste, where millions of tonnes are "recycled" every year.

25 Jan 2011 15:01 GMT

Electronic waste, according to Green Peace, makes up "five per cent of all municipal solid waste worldwide". It is estimated that between 20 and 50 million tonnes of e-waste are generated yearly [CC - takomabibelot]

Chinese Greenpeace activists set up an e-waste sculpture at the China International High-tech exhibition in an effort to shame the companies attending the expo on May 23, 2005 in Beijing, China [Getty]

A Greenpeace activist is surrounded by security guards during a demonstration against e-waste outside the Hewlett Packard (HP) Beijing headquarters on December 7, 2005 in Beijing, China [Getty]

China is estimated to receive over a million tonnes of e-waste every year, the majority of which goes to Guiyu, where tens of thousands of workers manage and "recycle" the waste [CC - Bert van Dijk]

A worker rummages through e-waste for the purpose of salvaging metals and other materials for resale in Guiyu. E-waste is often illegally exported here from developed countries [EPA]

A worker takes down an old computer main frame to recover usable things in an e-waste recycling factory in Laixi, eastern China. China receives approximately 70 per cent of all e-waste generated yearly [EPA]

India is one of the major hubs of the e-waste trade. According to a report from the Centre for Environmental Studies at Anna University in India, e-waste management in India suffers from "unhealthy conditions of informal recycling", among other criticisms [CC - Greenpeace India]

Workers dismantle old computers and electronics at E-Parisara, an electronic waste recycling factory. India(***)s growing digital economy has contributed to the amount of e-waste it generates [Getty]

According to a Greenpeace report, tonnes of unusable electronics are shipped to Ghana and disposed of in scrap yards like this. Unprotected workers, often children, work in these hazardous conditions [EPA]

Electronic waste, according to Green Peace, makes up "five per cent of all municipal solid waste worldwide". It is estimated that between 20 and 50 million tonnes of e-waste are generated yearly [CC - takomabibelot]

Chinese Greenpeace activists set up an e-waste sculpture at the China International High-tech exhibition in an effort to shame the companies attending the expo on May 23, 2005 in Beijing, China [Getty]

A Greenpeace activist is surrounded by security guards during a demonstration against e-waste outside the Hewlett Packard (HP) Beijing headquarters on December 7, 2005 in Beijing, China [Getty]

China is estimated to receive over a million tonnes of e-waste every year, the majority of which goes to Guiyu, where tens of thousands of workers manage and "recycle" the waste [CC - Bert van Dijk]

A worker rummages through e-waste for the purpose of salvaging metals and other materials for resale in Guiyu. E-waste is often illegally exported here from developed countries [EPA]

A worker takes down an old computer main frame to recover usable things in an e-waste recycling factory in Laixi, eastern China. China receives approximately 70 per cent of all e-waste generated yearly [EPA]

India is one of the major hubs of the e-waste trade. According to a report from the Centre for Environmental Studies at Anna University in India, e-waste management in India suffers from "unhealthy conditions of informal recycling", among other criticisms [CC - Greenpeace India]

Workers dismantle old computers and electronics at E-Parisara, an electronic waste recycling factory. India(***)s growing digital economy has contributed to the amount of e-waste it generates [Getty]

According to a Greenpeace report, tonnes of unusable electronics are shipped to Ghana and disposed of in scrap yards like this. Unprotected workers, often children, work in these hazardous conditions [EPA]